Always & Forever
by Kittehkat432
Summary: She never had a choice when it came to dealing with the Original Family, but she did have a choice when it came to falling in love with an Original. Elena takes a trip down to New Orleans after a dream about Elijah... Elena/Elijah **PLEASE REVIEW! That's how I know if people like my stories or not!**
1. Chapter 1 Always and Forever

Chapter 1: Always & Forever

"Always and forever was the greatest mistake of your life."

The scene was eerie as she floated through the empty city streets. She could hear the echo of a trumpet coming from somewhere but she didn't have a clue where. Still, the heavy jazz tune was soothing as her brown knee-high boots stepped on broken green and gold beads as well as smashed beer bottles. "Is anyone here?" She asked as she heard noises coming from the shadows. "Elena, you're a vampire? Why are you scared?" She scolded herself as her foot landed on something different in texture.

A simple piece of untouched paper…

She looked down at it and felt the overcoming urge to pick it up. Then, she realized she had no control over her actions. She grabbed the letter from the ground, reading:

Elena,

Today I did things I abhor to protect the one thing I value most, my family. If anyone can understand it, it's you. Your compassion is a gift, Elena. Carry it with you, as I will carry my regret.

Always and forever,

Elijah.

The letter started to burn in her fingers as her eyes started to tear up- again, out of her control until only three words remained in her hands.

_Always & Forever. _

She inhaled as she pressed the large cup button on her Keurig machine, squinting her eyes as the loud noise of water squeezing through the opening echoed throughout the dorm room. She heard Caroline shuffle in her sheets, and eventually wake up with an even louder yawn. "Hey." She said shortly. Caroline hadn't really said much to Elena since Elena returned from the other-side- no one really said much to her. Damon ended things because of his guilt…and possibly the fact he eats vampires these days. Stefan avoided her at all costs because of his embarrassment. Bonnie and Jeremy were out all the time. Bonnie hadn't said seven words to Elena for her own reasons.

More than anything, Elena felt alone as if she were still on the other-side watching someone else live her life.

"Hey." Elena responded, "Um…This is a weird question…Have you heard from Klaus?" She asked awkwardly as she took a sip from her blue polka-dot mug. Caroline's face distorted as if Elena had openly cursed her or something.

"No, why would you ask that?" Caroline asked angrily, throwing her comforter over her body and putting her feet into her slippers. She huffed, grabbing things around the dorm and then walked out slamming the door.

"…Could you tell me how Elijah is?" She whispered into her coffee as the door slammed. She sighed as she set it down, closing her eyes. She talked to herself a lot these days, _"I have something to tell you."_ She would start as her friends ran off to live their lives, _"While I was away, I ran into a mutual acquaintance- Esther. And…"_ The part where her tears would surface in her eyes would begin, _"She did something to me-she changed me and I don't know how to fix myself anymore."_

No one could hear her confession and no one could catch her tears. She would just sit in her dorm room or go to class- anything that followed the motions. Esther ruined Elena Gilbert- Esther ripped away any of the remaining shreds she had of her life.

_You have to save my children Elena…you have to save my children. You will save my children… _

Elena never knew witches had so much foothold on the biological makeup of a vampire, but Esther could. Analogy based, Vampires: Hybrids::Caroline: Elena. She was now a freak vampire, like Klaus. Actually, worse than Klaus- because Klaus only had two supernatural aspects in his DNA. Elena had three.

First, Esther transferred her magic to Elena making her just as powerful- just as able to do dangerous spells like Bonnie, probably even more dangerous. Then, she decided to make Elena into a werewolf hybrid-she said it was so she could atone for the murder of her lover. As if Klaus wasn't representation enough of her past affairs. She also said her reasoning was so her son didn't feel alone. Although, Elena didn't understand that either because Klaus was about to have a lot more hybrids walking around due to the impregnation of Hayley.

Once Elena's transformation was completed she had a lot of time to listen to the others in the depths of the other side. She would listen to her friend's hang out with Katherine, watch as Katherine destroyed her reputation among the people she loved. She even watched Damon crumble into himself and ruin his life and she longed to save him from the pain he was feeling, but she couldn't.

Then one day, Elena woke up in her body surrounded by the people she loved. She tried to forget about what was going on in her body. She would hide from her friend's when her eyes started to glow that hybrid yellow, or when the magic would take over her reasoning and break a glass or catch a small fire in the dorm room. That's when being alone had its perks. Elena would just lose control sometimes when she thought about what was really going on inside of her.

Elena put her coffee cup on a coaster and headed for the shower where she could gather her thoughts, but all she could think about was Esther and soon her thoughts shifted to Elijah and she smiled for a few moments when she recalled their past moments together.

But those words rang in her head like a promise she had to uphold: Always & Forever. As in, Elena was part of the group- part of the promise Elijah had made to his siblings so long ago- a promise he had made to her.

Slowly, an unsettling feeling came through Elena's body- because dreams like that just don't happen.


	2. Chapter 2 Burning Rubber

Chapter 2: Burning Rubber

She listened to the phone ring through her speakers until it went to Caroline's voicemail, "Hey…I know it's not ideal to be hearing this on the phone and by now I assume you already know that I'm gone." She sighed, "I realized today that we are defined by the promises we make and the extents we will go to uphold them. Caroline, this is what's best for everyone." She hung up, throwing her phone out the window as her Ferrari California T, a car not even released to the public, flew pass the "WELCOME TO NEW ORLEANS" sign. Her hair blew out of the convertible as her eyes started to glow in the night as adrenaline pulsed through her body. How would he react? Would he be happy to see her?

_Pompeii_ played as she sped through the town, unaware of the night-walker's eyes that were watching her every escalation in speed. She closed her eyes, breathing in the air as she pressed the button for GPS. "Okay, let's do a more modern location spell." She touched her screen to input an address. Her eyes shifted from hybrid, to vampire, to human/witch as she tried to focus on her magic. She didn't have to speak a word or spell- the next thing she knew there was an address in her system and she was being directed towards it.

Minutes passed as she drove until vampires started coming out of the woodwork, they jumped off of buildings and came out of alleys soon surrounding her car. She took the opportunity to fix her lipstick as the group awaited a leader. She put both hands on the wheel to indicate she didn't plan on doing anything crazy.

She smirked when he stepped out from behind the crowd- and it warmed her heart when he returned the smirk. "Elena Gilbert." He laughed, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Elena knew it was safe to exit her vehicle. Her high heels hit the ground as she fixed her tight, almost revealing black dress. She shut the door softly, "Oh my visits not for your pleasure noble Elijah, it's for mine." She couldn't help but flirt with him- she was in fact a single woman in a beautiful city. But, she knew his heart was not empty when it came to love- he longed for what he could not have…a taken woman who carried his brother's child. A woman engaged to be married to her arranged fiancé.

"You're absolutely charming, but I sense you have more pressing matters to discuss with me. Please, come- I'll have someone park your car." He extended his elbow out to her, which she tightly wrapped her arm around as if they were dancing. They walked to a grand home in which they were met with more curious vampires. Once they were inside, Elena let him go. "What is it Elena?"

"Where's Klaus?" She nearly demanded to know, "This involves him as well."

Elijah sighed, "He's out terrorizing villages." Elijah laughed at his joke, but Elena knew better than to believe his lie. She knew something was off, and it all began with Elijah being the leader of the vampires in the area. It was a test, and Elijah failed. "Now will you please tell me why you have come to my home in the middle of the night?"

"Because it's a long drive from Virginia to Louisiana." She hesitated to tell him her real motives. Fear ran through her bones as she spoke, not because she was scared of him but because he was scared of what came next. "I thought we didn't lie to each other Elijah."

"Lie?" He said as he touched the vase guilty.

"I know something is wrong, I know you aren't telling me the truth." She admitted, "One of the highlights from my time on the other-side is to receive prophecy-like dreams." She realized Elijah would be the first to know her story and that saddened her, "Apart from running into your mother that is…"

He looked up at her, "My mother? The other-side? You have mentioned two very interesting things. Please, continue."

"As you know, Katherine was dying due to old age." He nodded, "I forgave her. I told her I forgave her and in response she took over my body and ruined my relationship with Damon and pursued Stefan pretending to be me. I was trapped on the other-side watching her live my life." She sat down on Elijah's couch. "There, your mother contacted me and the short story is she claimed she wanted to save her children and the only way to do so was to…to change me, make me stronger so I could save her children- save you." Elena sighed, "So that's what she did, she changed my DNA and made me a witch as powerful as her, and a werewolf hybrid like Klaus and obviously I'm still a vampire but I assume more like you when it comes to your abilities"

"A hybrid combining all supernatural elements." Elijah said amazed.

Elena pushed back tears, "She ruined me." Elijah whooshed over to her and touched her face with his fingertips to wipe away tears. He seemed to lack words that would mean a thing to her so he moved on with conversation.

"Why did you come, Elena?" He asked sweetly, "I assure you my mother was misinformed, we don't need any mystical saving from her."

"I had a dream that you were in danger Elijah…My dream involved the letter you left me and a promise you made to me." She touched his face as well, "Always and forever." She whispered to him, "The same promise you made your siblings, you made to me and it's time I return the favor. I'm not here because your mother sent me, I'm here because you need me."

He started to laugh, something rare and usually accompanied by dangerous situations or threats. "The witches thought my promise obliterated by recent events…then you show up tonight with these abilities and my own personal salvation from a guilty soul."

"Where is Klaus?"

"They have taken my siblings hostage in their war and I have promised to kill them but I've run into complications…until now."

"Until now."


	3. Chapter 3 Feel Something

Chapter 3: Feel Something

The early morning darkness covered the dirt road like a mysterious blanket, it sheltered animals in the shadows and gave a false since of tranquility to the area. Then lightning would tear that blanket into pieces, revealing those yellow eyes that once had the element of surprise.

She sucked in air as she woke up on the dirt road in the pouring rain, "Where am I?" She said out loud as she sprung up. She realized she was completely naked as the cold air touched her delicate and dirty skin. Fear pulsed through her body as she started to panic. Her hair was matted with mud and as she reached her hand up to the corners of her mouth she recognized the taste of blood. "What did I do?" She cried as she wrapped her arms around her exposed body.

She started to walk down the road, looking over her shoulder until she found an abandoned path where she could sit and think without the risk of teenagers finding her. She was shaking, not because she was cold, but because she knew she'd done something shameful. _Did I kill someone? What did I do? Where am I? _Questions crowded her brain as she tried to think- tried to remember.

She stopped trying to remember after a few minutes because she knew it was hopeless while her body wanted to go into survival mode. She knew better to think she could walk back to the French Quarter naked- she only saw one option that didn't involve waiting all day for someone to drive down the road.

She would have to change.

She would have to break every bone in her body for the first time so she could use her wolf senses to get home. She breathed in and out quickly until she was convinced she was ready.

Elena believed the pain could relate to being stabbed a thousand times in the heart or an aneurism that lasted for days by the hands of a witch. It was completely breath-taking as each bone bent until it snapped. She screamed for what seemed like hours upon hours but probably was no more than fifteen minutes.

But when it was over, when the pain faded she felt the acuteness of her sense elevate to a different level. She could smell every aspect of the Original's house as she started to run through the wood areas and once she reached the French Quarter she believed herself safe.

That was until a strong hand took hold of the back of her neck, dragging her behind him as he walked. She yelped in pain as the vampire pulled her skin roughly, throwing her around as if she did not have feelings or a soul. "We found _this _creeping around the Quarter." The vampire said as others joined the crowd. They laughed evilly as they looked over Elena's wolf form. Elena suddenly felt completely weak as the adrenaline from her transition settled. "And what do we do with werewolves in the Quarter…?" He asked the crowd.

"Let it go!" Hayley came pushing through the crowd, an instinctive hand on her stomach. "Let it go!" She begged as she tugged on the vampires arm. "It's not doing any harm!"

"It has blood on its muzzle!" The vampire pointed out to Hayley, "This animal has killed something in the French Quarter, possibly one of our vampires. Just because you're related to them, doesn't mean they don't have to abide by the rules!"

_Let me go, _Elena thought faintly as her strength started to fade as his grip got tighter. In her weakest moment, Elijah appeared. Elena looked at him with her wolf eyes as she developed severe tunnel hearing. Elijah looked at her wolf form, taking in all emotions of the people in front of him. _Wouldn't be the first time someone saw me naked… _Elena thought humorlessly as she begged her body to return to her normal form.

The vampire let her go so the others could savagely attack her wolf-form and make her pay. Elena shut her eyes to the best of her ability as she started to go in and out. Her breathing slowed and she let go of reality.

As the vampires closed in, her wolf-form gradually faded as she returned to her body. "Move!" Elijah commanded as he took off his suit jacket, covering her changing body. He brought her mostly naked body to his chest as her wet hair rested against his shoulder. He carried her bridal style, arm tucked under her knees. "Dearest Elena." He whispered in her ear as he carried her body to his home. Hayley followed behind barely keeping up with the hasty steps Elijah was making.

"Elena Gilbert? That's our big move, small town life Elena Gilbert." She said, "You've got to be kidding me!"

"She can help." Elijah said as he opened the door to his home, touching Elena's wet hair with a gentle hand. "She's a dear friend and you'd do best not to insult her."

"Or what, you'll be extremely disappointed in me?" She said, "Wait a minute-How is she a wolf? I thought she was that guy with the axe's sister! She's a _vampire_."

Elijah started to walk up the stairs, "She's a hybrid." He corrected her, "Like your child and like NiKlaus. Designed by the hand of my mother." He quickly went up the stairs and started down the exposed hallway.

"Where are you taking her?" Hayley asked him in a different tone with a hint of jealousy.

"She is cold and covered in blood and mud, I think the reasonable thing is to run a bath." Elijah told her as he opened his bedroom door.

Hayley starred after him as he closed the door, her face a mixture of jealousy because she could tell she was no longer the object of his attention and a mixture of happiness that he could let her go.

Elena opened her eyes as she felt his hand moving from the top of her head to the bottom of her face. "Elijah." She croaked, "I don't know what happened." She didn't care if she was naked, she didn't care if he saw her. In that dreadful moment, she needed him. "Did I kill someone tonight?"

"I don't know." He said honestly, "Do you want me to leave you to wash?"

"No." She said immediately, "Please stay."

He looked at her as his hand cupped her face. It was as if he were searching for a reason to leave that room because of his moral code but he could not find one. They just starred at one another, eyes daring the other to say something, do something.

Hearts daring to feel something.


	4. Chapter 4 Trying To Leave You Behind

Chapter 4: Trying To Leave You Behind

"It's beautiful," Elena said under her breath as she came to a halt in front of the blue three story house she now called home, "Wow." She said memorized by its beauty once she softly stepped out of her car. She never thought she'd find a house so quickly in such a popular town- well, she never thought she would move out of the Original house so quickly either. She had her reasons for tucking her tail in so hastily. Elena couldn't afford to be honest with herself so she refused to recognize how she_ really_ feared the thought of watching him speak so eloquently while he led the vampires without the same gleam in his eyes he had the night before when he looked at her.

She wondered so desperately if the look in his eyes resembled the look he gave Hayley or Katherine or even Celeste… Or was it just lust- just a moment they shared that ended just as quickly as it started? Did he care? Did he _think _about her that morning when he awakened from his dreams? It was foolish to go down a path that began a thousand years ago with a girl who looked just like her, but if following your heart is foolish… then Elena Gilbert was a fool. She was a fool for thinking there was anything between Elijah and her. She was a fool for hoping there was something between Elijah and her.

The sound of her Real Estate agent brought her back to reality, "I was shocked to hear you paid the full amount for the house without a tour!" She stated as if she really cared about how Elena spent her money, "You said, family money…at your age?" Elena could taste her jealousy between the inches the stood apart. She knew what she was thinking, _Little Rich girl is going to blow all of her money in this city… _

"Yes, it's dated back almost five hundred years." She never knew that Katherine cared about her until the day Katherine's soul passed from her body and she discovered Katherine left her the fortune she'd collected over the 500 years spent running. Naturally, Nadia was highly upset with the realization that her mother had left her without anything and left her enemy with everything.

Elena unlocked the house with the old tarnished key, revealing a sweet home with hardwood floors and brick walls. There was at least one fireplace in each room, but only one was unsealed. Elena admired the architecture of the place as she walked around her home for the first time. The kitchen was beautiful and open with a small island in the middle. She was surprised to find modern appliances. Elena admired each room and took into account the clash of modern and antique fixtures and appliances. The bathroom by the guest room was far more modern than the bathroom on the third floor. The rooms were also stuck between two time periods as one would have a fireplace sealed up with bricks but another would have modern light fixtures hanging from the ceiling.

As she walked around she found more and more aspects that she liked about her new home such as the openness of the master bedroom that would soon be outfitted with furniture. She instantly fell in love with her closet size and the antique bathtub that sat in the corner of her bathroom.

The real estate agent said in a snarly tone, "The house has five bedrooms, three bathrooms and a pool. I'm surprised you just went with the outside look of the house when buying it. Usually, it's the interior of a home that promotes a purchase."

"I didn't think the cost would matter if I didn't like the interior. I needed a place close to the French Quarter for personal business." She swiveled around on her heel, "Thank you for the tour. Leave." She compelled the agent who gathered her things- leaving the spare key behind.

"Enjoy your home." She said as she left the house.

Once Elena was alone, she reached into her purse to open her pre-paid cell phone package. She knew she had to make a few calls, specifically to her brother. In the back of her mind though…another face wanted her to run home. Damon.

She couldn't just forget their love over night or even over the course of a few months like it never happened. She wanted him in every way possible, she needed him to wipe away her tears when she was scared. She needed him to talk some sense into her when she was thinking irrationally…but more than anything she needed to hear the sound of someone's voice that loved her.

So, she dialed the familiar number to her brother's phone and listened to it ring until it went to voicemail. "Hey Jer, its Elena…I was really hoping you would answer the phone." She rested her back against her brick wall, "I'm sorry for leaving the way I did. I miss you but I think we both know staying in Mystic Falls wasn't going to help anyone. I love you, please call back." _Please Call Back… _

And there she was, once more alone.

Her eyes abruptly opened as the sound of a wolf howling in the darkness ran through her body. There she was- back on that dirt road in the middle of the night. She closed her eyes tightly but something wasn't right…

She wasn't in her normal form, she was in her wolf form which explained why she was naked on the road the night before. _Why am I changing, and more importantly why am I coming here? _Elena questioned herself as she sniffed the open, calm air. She didn't smell anything different, didn't feel anything different as she walked down the road back to her home.

She walked down her sidewalk, no longer afraid of vampires attacking her in the area because she resided seven minutes outside of the French Quarter. As she walked, she changed back into her usual form, climbing on top of the porch and quickly opening her door so her new neighbors wouldn't think she was a nudist.

This time, she didn't have blood on her face which was a relief. Elena couldn't handle the thought of her going on killing sprees at night in her werewolf form- or at all.

That didn't mean Elena wasn't scared of what was going on- it wasn't normal to black out and wind up on strange roads _twice. _

Elena hadn't said much when she moved out, but in that very hour she made an important decision. She listened to the phone ring until he picked up, "Hello." He said in his smooth voice, "Who is this?"

She answered nervously, "It happened again, Elijah."

"Elena?" He seemed to be moving as he spoke to her, "I came home to find your things gone…I was worried you'd returned home. Where are you? I'll come get you."

She sighed, "No, no…I'm safe. I bought a house not too far from the Quarter today. I thought I'd make my stay more permanent and I couldn't take advantage of your hospitality." _Liar. _

"You never really explained what happened last night." His words lingered in the tension their conversation created.

"…You never gave me the chance." Her words were sharp, "You just _left." _

"Elena…" He said softly as if he were going to explain himself, but he never did. He just let her name hang in the air as her heart started to ache. She imagined him doing the same thing as her, leaning against the wall with heavy emotions stirring throughout her body.

"I really have to get some sleep." With that, she hung up on him and continued to lean against the wall. She was so confused as she thought of her heartache over her breakup with Damon and the way Elijah was making her feel these last few days. She didn't want to forget the way Damon made her feel but as things became more intense emotion-wise with Elijah she couldn't help but feel their memories fade.


	5. Chapter 5 Alone

Chapter 5: Alone

"Where do you think you're going?" Marcel yelled as he pulled her arm, "You're part of the group now, you follow Elijah's orders." Elena recognized a flare of contempt in his eyes as he choked on the word follow. _You used to be a leader… _She realized as he refused to let her go. "He told you to focus on finding Rebekah, why must you insist on finding Klaus?"

Elena's eyes flickered with the deep golden yellow she tried to conceal daily, "You can tell Elijah that he is not _in charge of me." _She said with anger in his voice, "He's never been in charge of me." She corrected Marcel's assumption.

With her words, Elena turned the corner fleeing into fading afternoon. She'd never been angrier or more hurt in her life. How could he disregard her like that, as if she were one of the lower foot soldiers and lacked competence? Her plan was absolutely brilliant and he had allowed his personal feelings get in the way of his judgment. But of course, when Hayley raises her hand and suggest they find pitiful Rebekah first- oh, he suddenly agrees with her and thinks her idiotic plan is attainable. If he wouldn't listen to her, she'd do it alone because she had nothing to prove to Elijah Mikaelson or anyone else in that damn house. Her arms swung by her sides as she walked with the _click, click, click _sound of her shoes hitting the sidewalk. She was infuriated by the thought of Elijah at the moment and thought it best that she be alone.

"Elena!" She heard him call after her as she made it half way down the sidewalk at a human pace, "Elena, stop!"

"Or what? You're going to compel me like one of your _pathetic_ plastic soldiers!" She shot back at him. Elijah stepped in front of her, grabbing her by her shoulders willing her to stop. "Let go of me!" She screamed at him as her fist beat against his chest rapidly, but he did not. Elena acted on impulse, allowing her hand to collide with his cheek. "I said, let go of me." She said sternly as she started to walk away again.

He held his hand to his cheek, "You're acting like a child, Elena." He told her in his annoyed voice. "Stop throwing your temper tantrum and return to the house."

Elena turned on her heel, "_I'm _acting like a child." She pointed to herself, "At least I'm not acting like a fool!" She cut him with her words, "Oh, _noble_ Elijah- _moral _Elijah who feels sorry for himself because he couldn't save his family _and_ the girl he's in love with, who I might add is getting _married _once she pops out her child with your _brother-" _

"Mind your words, Elena Gilbert." He says between enraged breaths as he looks at her, and for a second they just stare…testing one another, deciding who would make the next move.

"Or you'll kill me?" Elena said softly with sadness in her tone, "I'm already dead Elijah, your sister killed me."

Elijah steps forward, "Are you still holding out for vengeance because my sister killed you, for my family's actions? I thought you more honorable than that."

"My Aunt Jenna died for the sake of your brother and I am still trying to save him, Alaric died because of your sister and I _will _save her but we are at war, Elijah. Vampires are being slaughtered by dark, ancient magic and wouldn't you think that we would save someone who is more than a vampire? No, we aren't because honor was thrown out the window the second you chose Hayley's favoritism towards Rebekah over the lives of your people." Elena breathed, "I thought you more honorable than that, Elijah Mikaelson. I trusted you to trust _me_! And believe when I say this, if I wanted vengeance for what I've lost I wouldn't bother helping at all."

He said nothing as she continued to walk away until she reached the edge of the sidewalk, "I'm sorry" echoed as the sunset.

"It's not good enough this time."

Elena laid on the hood of her car as she drowned the memory of her cruel words with a bottle of whatever Elijah had sent through his people. She didn't regret how she handle the situation, only that she hurt him. She wasn't wrong though, she needed to say something before things got out of hand. He couldn't lead soldiers in a war while taking war strategies from an inexperienced werewolf. Elena wasn't a war person but she'd fought plenty of battles against good and evil- even with the lines had been blurred.

"Do you come here often?" A familiar voice echoed throughout the emptiness, "I didn't mean to grab you like that…"

"Marcel, honestly, I don't even care." She took another swig from the bottle as he joined her on the hood of her car. "I didn't want a vampire, you know? I was ready to die- I made the decision to die." She smiled a little, "I thought about how I would finally see my parents again and my aunt… I would see all of the people I'd lost over those two years and I would be so happy, even though I knew I wouldn't be going to heaven. I'd been on the other-side."

"Rebekah killed you?" Marcel asked, "She always had a flare for the dramatics…"

Elena sighed, "I have been ready to die so many times, until the day when I was trapped on the other-side. I fought for my life because I finally had _it_, I was finally happy even though I was surrounded by tragedy."

Marcel changed the subject, "How long have you known Elijah?"

"Since the day he tried to kidnap me to win his freedom from Klaus." Elena admitted, "It's not the best foundation for trust."

"No, it isn't."

"But I did, you know? I trusted him." Elena laughed grimly, "I trusted him to kill Klaus the day Klaus killed my Aunt-but, he didn't. He saved his brother. Still, every time I saw him I knew I could trust him even though we usually let each other down or break our word somehow. We have a mutual understand that we will do anything for the sake of family."

"Seems reasonable…"

She took another sip of alcohol, "He didn't choose his family this time." Elena told him with shock in her voice, "I don't understand!"

"You do what you have to for love." Marcel seemed to speak from experience, "Love is wholly selfish and it consumes you, makes you start to doubt yourself and you realize you have to start changing your life if you want it to work out."

"I don't know what type of love you're dealing with, but trust me- love doesn't make you choose between blood and skin."


	6. Chapter 6 Mother Elena

Chapter 6: Mother Elena

Her red lipped smile kissed the side of the bartender's face as she settled into a stool, "Where are you from?" He asked her with sincerity, "The reason I ask is because you're definitely new to this part of town. You know, the witchy part of town?"

"I'm from Virginia, actually." Elena answered, "I heard through the grapevine this was the place to go if you're looking for information. I happen to be looking for information."

He pointed in the direction of a younger looking boy in the back corner of the club, "That's Kyle- kid's got behavior problems but he's the best when it comes to get information." Elena was star struck by his resemblance to her brother, dark hair and a strong face full of youth. He wore a black hoodie, much like Jeremy used to do in his e_mo _phase and seemed to be sketching at the circular table. "What kind of info are you looking for?"

Elena did not answer his question. She walked over to Kyle in her black BeBe V-neck lacey cocktail dress, not trying to seduce him like she would have done to any other young guy in the club. "Kyle." She addressed him as she approached.

"Do I know you?" He asked in a punk attitude, "I mean you're hot and everything but I'm pretty sure I don't _know _you."

"You don't, but I know of you. I'm looking for information, I hear you're pretty dialed in around these parts." Elena said, "By the way, you will never _know _me the way you were implying. You remind me too much of my little brother and I'm into older guys."

"How much older?"

"Let's see, my last boyfriend was about a hundred and sixty years old and the boyfriend before that was somewhere between a hundred fifty, and a hundred sixty so- yeah." Elena laughed light heartedly as she spoke.

"Oh, so you're into vampires…that's cool." He nodded his head, "I have a girlfriend myself, a witch. I'm more into that lighting candles and starting wildfires kind of danger than the potential of being eaten." She was surprised by his honesty. "My son on the other hand thinks every mystical being around our house is cool and loving and I'm just waiting for him to meet a werewolf and call it a puppy."

"You have a son?" Elena asked in disbelief, "You're so young but then again who am I to judge? I dated brothers!"

"Yeah, he's two years old…you're pretty cool…?"

"Elena."

"Elena, that's a nice name." Kyle put down his pencil, "So- who do you need dirt on?"

"Sabine or Celeste. She's a witch in the French Quarter-"

"I know who she is." His face suddenly got dark, "She killed my family making me an orphan and now I live in a little shack with Korey and my son because of her. Why?" He asked, "You two got beef or something?"

"Or something." Elena said, "She's trying to kill the person who decides if my friend, family and myself die or not. Personally, I'm not ready to die." Elena's compassion took over her rational side of her brain, "Move in with me." She demanded, "I live in a five bedroom home with a pool by myself, trust me when I say move in with me."

"You don't know me, I could bite."

"Honey, your bite is nothing compared to mine." Elena informed him, "I don't mean any harm to you or your family. A kid your age with his own kid doesn't need to be living in this part of town with a crazy ass witch on the hunt."

"Five bedrooms?" Kyle asked, "Dude, you're like a mother. Why are you doing this?"

"You remind me of my brother and I wish there was someone like me when I lost all my loved ones around to help me with my brother…"

"Is he…dead?"

"Not anymore. But that doesn't mean that I haven't failed him in some way because I ran out of resources to help him with."

Elena needed company, even if they were complete strangers. It was the proof she needed to reassure her a person would do anything for their family. Kyle would move his young family into a stranger's house because it was better for them. Korey and Elena instantly bonded over tea as Elena explained what she was and her intentions when it came to bringing Kyle into her home. Korey was grateful and said she knew Elena had a good heart and her intentions weren't false.

That night though, Kyle told Elena about Celeste and his curse. "She's evil, pure evil and full of hate." He told her, "Apparently, I'm one of few warlocks in my bloodline that have this specific powerful gene. She asked me to join her in attempt to kill off the vampire race, but I'm equal opportunity…Vampires have the same right to live as witches and werewolves do. She'd been scheming for a long time because when I refused she tied my bloodline to some stupid spell. I don't even know what the spell is, all I know is its stupid."

_Spoken like the average teenager. _

"Witches and their ridiculous spells." Elena shook her head, "They can't ever make the fight easy, no offense Korey."

"None taken." Korey shrugged, "I'm a natural witch, I use the elements to control my magic and it's very basic. I don't take advantage of it."

"I wasn't given the choice to use basic magic. My heart is full of dark magic, strong and powerful magic that I don't want to use because I don't want to hurt people but if it comes down to war… I'll eventually have to use it for all it's worth."

Korey shrugs, "I hate it when people say you always have a choice, no you don't."

"Agreed." Kyle said.

"Agreed." Elena whispered. "I have to make a phone call real quick, I'll be right back. Korey, Jace is by the fireplace… do you want me to get him?"

"Yes! Please!"

Elena took her phone out of her back pocket while she picked up Jase. She dialed Elijah's number and pressed call- then she just waited. "Hello." He said shortly, "I've tried calling nine times and you've ignored me each time."

"P-Phonee." Jase laughed as he tried to grab Elena's phone from her, "Want Phone."

"But you can't have my phone, Jase." Elena smiled, "I know but I've been a little busy… and a little pissed off but I decided that we can't stay mad at each other during war time."

"That's reasonable…is that a baby in the background?" Elijah asked, "I need you to come over so we can discuss a plan to find my siblings, or I can come to you."

"I'm a little busy right now…"

"I can come to you." _Click. _


	7. Chapter 7 The Master Plan

Chapter 7: The Master Plan

"Elena, come home." Jeremy's voice vibrated through her car as Elena did ninety on a back road, "We won't say anything about you leaving if you come home. Where are you anyway?" Elena closed her eyes for a second as she tried to focus on her thoughts. Unfortunately, it didn't help the tears forming her eyes.

"I can't come home Jer." Elena shook her head as she cried, "I've made a new home here and I have to do right by the people I care about." She thought about last night, the way Elijah cupped her face in his hands as he spoke to her. "I know you're angry and I know you're hurt that I left but believe me when I say that I love you and I miss you."

"If you miss me so much Elena, come home! If this new life is so damn important to you though, don't bother calling again." Jeremy said roughly, "You're all I got in this stupid town, we've always had each other and then one day I get a call from Caroline that says you're gone… Please, Elena…" She hated to hear him cry, but she knew that if she ran away from her fate people would die in the wake of Celeste.

Elena could barely choke out the words, "I'm sorry" before Jeremy hung up the phone. She pulled over quickly onto the side of the road. "I'm so sorry." She cried into her steering wheel as low music played through her speakers. It was haunting and the soundtrack to her emotional breakdown.

Her thoughts were scrambled, confused and most importantly distracted by her real reason for going ninety down a back road at 9 PM.

"_What are your plans after we find my siblings?" Elijah asked her with an innocent look in his eyes, she studied his face for minutes trying to deny the sparks of electricity they were pulsing through one another's heart. She wondered slightly if he noticed the way his hand touched her own with such tenderness. _

_Elena knew she needed to answer the question he'd presented her with but for some odd reason her words escaped her. She watched their hands lay flat against each other without intertwining. The longing to entangle their fingers was indescribable. "I-I" Elena suppressed her want and returned to the question, "I'm not going to leave if that's what you're asking." She spoke faintly, drawing away her hand from his. "At least, not anytime soon."_

"_Are you staying for the family you've invited into your lovely home?" He raised his eyebrows in hope awaiting an answer._

"_Kyle is perfectly capable of taking care of his family by himself. We are just friends…or maybe just strangers who connected." Elena vocalized the truth resting on the tip of her tongue, "He reminds me of my brother…he's lost so much at so young and has a child that deserves a beautiful life… I had to help him. But, he's not enough to keep me somewhere I don't want to be." _

"_Then what is?" Elijah's hand reached for her touch once more._

"_Irrevocable love" Elena whispered delicately as she stood up from the swing, "It's the most complex magic anyone can truly have…If I found it by chance in the worst place on Earth I would stay in eternal hell for it." _

"_And if you were in a place you had no intentions of leaving, would you stay is love was absent?" _

"_For a while, but I couldn't stay forever… I can't stay forever by myself Elijah, it's not fair and it's too much ask of me." Elena stopped speaking for a second, "It's getting late."_

_Elijah said, "It's not that I don't- you're right it's getting late, Elena." Elijah stood up, buttoning his suit to remain calm and collected, "Will you invite me in?" He leaned into her, tilting his neck down as if he were going to kiss her. Elena looked at him, knowing this would be their undoing. If she invited Elijah into her house, into her bed it would be over. He would regret her and avoid her as soon as morning light landed in her room. _

"_No." She uttered between deep breaths. His lips graced her forehead in a short moment, causing her to close her eyes. When she opened them, he was gone. _

Elena couldn't deny it anymore. She couldn't make another excuse concerning the obvious tension between Elijah and herself. It'd always been there, lurking in the shadows as they made deals and broke them. It was behind every _I trust you_, behind every rescue mission, and behind every involuntary glance. There was something brewing between Elena Gilbert and Elijah Mikaelson far more dangerous than any witch in New Orleans and far more addicting than nicotine.

Their brains begged for a simple on and off switch, they told them it would never work and would be a mistake.

He thought, _remember the last doppelgänger… the way she hurt you… you said you would never go down that road again. You swore that Elena would be different. _

She thought, _remember the others who loved the doppelganger… the way you hurt them… you said you would never ruin someone like that again. You wanted love to be different… _

Still, no matter what hurt and heartbreak lingered in the near future- there was an absolute truth in their figurative hearts that said, "This _is _different, though…"

But where did that leave Elena? Her brother hated her for leaving, Kyle thanked her for letting him stay, and she knew there was something between her and Elijah…It was all too much, too soon. She needed to focus on the mission, the master plan. She needed to save Klaus and Rebekah.

And she finally understood where to look as she picked her head up from her steering wheel, "What's around that road?" She said out loud.


	8. Chapter 8 Rebekah

Chapter 8: Rebekah

Marcel walked up and down her porch in fury, "Why in the hell would you want to look for Rebekah or Klaus alone?" Elena looked at him with her palms extended in a defensive pose. She recalled their hush whispers last night when she went looking for Elijah after her discovery. Once she saw pregnant, almost-about-to-pop, Hayley walking around the courtyard she realized that she needed to keep those people-even her- safe. They all had to be protected when they confronted the witches about their warehouse.

"I can't afford to have Elijah, Hayley or any of those goons in my way!" She explained, "I don't know the strength of my magic- I just know that it comes from Esther who was really freakin' powerful and a little bit crazy." She spoke using her hands, "Marcel, _I can't hurt them_ and if they're around there's a good chance I _will."_ She heard the sound of Jase crying, "I have to get him."

Marcel's eyes questioned her movements, "You have a child?" Elena stopped walking towards the door and faked a smile that meant _I wish. _

"No, Jase is Kyle and Korey's baby- those are my roommates by the way, I'm just watching him tonight." Elena said, "I never…I never got the chance to have a child. I'm sure you know that people think I'm so deadest on getting Klaus back first because I hate Rebekah for killing me, but I got over it. She didn't take much away from me when she killed me. There was already a good chance I would eventually become a vampire, I would never have children or I would just die some other way."

"I chose to become a vampire." Marcel admitted as Elena walked into her house to get Jase. "I had a choice between Rebekah and Immortality and I chose to be immortal over my heart." Elena appeared quickly at her doorway with the boy in her arms, "I could have lived a lifetime with Rebekah, getting old, getting sick, getting weak as I watched her stay young or I could have lived forever in hopes that one day she would forgive me."

Elena's smile was full of memories…the night she told Damon she loved him after she got her emotions back. "You made the right choice." Elena told him, "Even if you didn't make the right choice it's too late to change it now."

"I just have one question." Marcel said after a quiet, reflecting minute passed by. "How can I trust you to find Rebekah? Or Klaus, even. After all they've done to you and your family."

"I'm a forgiving person." Elena told him, "My ex-boyfriend killed my brother once before we dated and I forgave him. Elijah and I have a history of forgiveness on both sides so I guess he's not the best example… But I forgave Katherine the first and second time she died after all the turmoil she put my life through."

He laughed, "I'm asking you if I can trust you, Elena?"

"Yes." She said, "I give you my word."

"When all hell breaks loose and you kill those witches promise me- look at me." He said seriously as Elena smiled down at Jase, "Promise me you will save Davina. She doesn't deserve to stay dead because of Celeste or even Klaus's family's actions against the witches…"

Elena squinted her eyes, "You're asking me to save a witch that can channel enough power to hurt an original because you're fond of her?"

"You said I could trust you, I'm trusting you to bring Davina back!"

Elena thought for a second and then answered, "I'll bring her back, I promise."

"One more thing…"

"What?"

"Promise me you won't go looking for trouble tonight, if you look for Rebekah or Klaus you tell someone. The full moon's coming soon and if you're going to make an attack you better do it when magic is on your side."

Elena laughed, "I have the power of the original witch who created the whole vampire race- I'm pretty sure magic is always on my side…I promise I won't go looking for trouble tonight, I'm babysitting remember?"

Her footsteps echoed throughout the back-road as she made her way to the warehouse. Elena kept her word to Marcel, she did send him a text that she _might _be doing some recon. She wasn't an idiot, she knew that storming the place without a well-thought-out plan would result in injury on her behalf. It was 3 AM, Korey got home with a very intoxicated Kyle, releasing Elena of her duty around midnight. After that, Elena tried to call Elijah before she left the house but once more he avoided her, so she sent a text to Marcel and left her house for the night.

Elena didn't immediately go to the warehouse, either. She walked along the French Quarter for almost an hour trying to wrap her head around the history of New Orleans and the part the Original's played in it. It was the strangest thing, but when she touched the old brick walls she could see the stories as if they were really happening before he eyes. She touched the street that Klaus had been taken on with her bare hands- flashing back to the moment he snapped Marcel's neck. The feeling of seeing this moments were almost addicting. Reality would bring her back though as soon as the moments were over.

Soon, she just started walking and walking until she reached where the pavement turned to dirt. She closed her eyes looking for stories like the city had held, but there were only movements of cars and a few people walking back and forth in anger and in love. She saw herself waking up scared and naked, and she saw herself drinking on the road trying to figure out what everything meant. As she walked she started to think about her life and the moods she'd been through. She came to New Orleans feeling confident as if she was really going to help, the next thing she knew she was breaking down because she was scared of herself but then she was sacrificing her wellbeing for that same confidence the next moment. Elena was a mess, anyone could point that out.

She was almost to the warehouse when she saw the figure laying in the middle of the road. Elena whooshed to the figures side, kneeling in complete horror. Her body was beaten, bloody, broken, and dirty. She looked nearly dead.

"Rebekah." Elena touched her bloody blonde hair. Rebekah reeled, grabbing Elena by her throat. "It's me! It's me!" She choked, noticing a letter lying next to her body with calligraphy sprawled across the envelope addressed to "_My dearest Elijah"_

"Have you come to kill me?" She whispered as she let go, "I'm ready to die, I want to die." Elena recognized the scared animal look in her eyes and the shiver of her bones.

"I'm not here to kill you." Elena said steadily, "I'm going to take you home."


	9. Chapter 9 Indirectly In Love

This Chapter takes place three weeks after Elena finds Rebekah. Elena and Rebekah have bonded. Rebekah has moved out of the house and moved in with Elena. Korey and Kyle are looking for their own house with the help of Elena.

Chapter 9: Indirectly In Love

"You don't have to keep acting like a guest Rebekah… Korey and Kyle are about to move out anyway. I helped them get on their feet over the last few weeks and now they are ready to leave the nest meaning _we can party_." Elena tried to act like she wasn't sad that Kyle and Korey decided to pack up and leave so quickly, despite her understanding of their situation. They claimed she'd given them the standing they needed to decide what they were going to do with their lives. Kyle was going to school, Korey was going to school and Elena was going to support them financially as they tried to live in their own house in a different town. Korey didn't want Jase growing up around vampires, malevolent witches and werewolves- which was understandable for a mother to want.

Rebekah sighed, "I really need a good party to get me back on my feet." She admitted, "Just like you need to call my brother before you go completely crazy."

Elena laughed nervously, "He won't read her letter, Rebekah. You know what that says? He's not over her. Like you said, he just stares at it as if it's going to open itself. Every time I visit he's reading one of his old journals-" She stopped speaking as Rebekah smirked. "But I don't care, I'm totally over it. He's over a thousand years old, he can make his own decisions."

"I moved out of my house because I couldn't be around Marcel anymore, or the insufferable tension in the room every time I walked in it." Rebekah said, "You moved out of the house because you were developing feelings for my brother after your break up with Damon. Which you're fooling yourself over by the way, you keep thinking about him every time you're about to live your life so you stop. It's sort of depressing and extremely confusing."

"So, if I went to the house right now and knocked on his door and told him that I _liked _him-which I don't- then you could insure me he wouldn't vanish? I didn't think so." Elena huffed as she fell into her couch, "We need to find Klaus, what if that letter says where Klaus is?"

"What if that letter says she's moving on from her obsessive revenge? By the way, after all the people the family has screwed up- why Celeste? She has to be the craziest of them all, besides my mother of course." Rebekah stood up from her seat, "We really need to get out of this house instead of laying around all the time. You need to talk to Elijah, I need to talk to Marcel and we need to find Nik. We can't find him if we're avoiding one another. Then, after we find Nik we can do whatever we want."

"I promised Marcel I would bring back Davina." Elena stated, "It's not over until Davina is back as well as Klaus."

_**ELIJAH: **_

He couldn't stop himself from indulging into the past as he looked at her fine script. The letter was haunting his house in a figurative manner. The only distraction he had seemed to come in the form of Elena Gilbert. She would walk into his house and make her demands, get angry and leave all in minutes.. Occasionally on rare days she would sit in his study and watch him pretend to read. She would touch the books on his shelf and comment about Klaus, reminding him he would have to open the letter one day.

Today wasn't any different-initially. He could smell the scent of honey as she walked into the house with his sister following at her heels. She greeted each stray vampire hanging around the house studying material for Elijah or making jokes with Marcel. The whole house seemed to calm as Elena glided through the walking areas. He wondered slightly if it was the amount of power she had at her disposal that made them stare or her obvious beauty. He liked to think no one knew Elena to the extent that he did when it came to the inhabitants in New Orleans.

It was infuriating and nearly intoxicating when she waltzed through his study with that familiar "deal-making" look on her face. "Elena." He greeted her, looking up from the stack of books on his desk. "I haven't seen you in a few days."

"Yeah." Elena said with her hands on her hips, "You have to open that letter Elijah." She told him sternly, "If you don't I will because I'm not going to stick around here while your brother goes through the same mental and physical pain as your sister- probably more because he is really hated among the witches."

"I just need some time."

"I've given you time, Elijah. I've given you weeks and we are still at square one when it comes to Klaus." She placed her hand on his cluttered desk, leaning in closer. Elijah watched as her eyes flickered yellow for a millisecond. Clearly, unspoken emotions were behind her demands. "Open the letter, Elijah."

"Give me some time to think about it."

Elena shook her head, "It doesn't work that way. The clock is running out of time and if you just sit there hiding behind this…" She waved her hand in front of his placid face, "You'll miss your moment."

_I'll miss my moment with you…_"Are we still talking about the letter?"

"What else would we be taking about?" The conversation suddenly shifted to a completely different subject right in front of his eyes.

"Please." Elijah begged as he noticed another flicker in her eyes, "I need time."

Elena moved away from him a she darted towards the door, "How long will it take you to break the silence before you tear us apart?"

Elijah stood up, "Our words will tear us apart and its best if we don't address them right now. Elena, you deserve much more out of this life than to be bound by this city. You deserve to find someone that can love you for you! You deserve someone who is not haunted by your face every second of every day and avoids you because they don't want to accept how they feel. After this, you could make a clean break if we settle for silence. You deserve to travel the world and learn new languages and meet new people."

"I'm dead, Elijah. I. Am. Dead. There was nothing that I deserved more than to grow up and have a family…I have a family here. The second I walked into this town…"

Elijah stood inches away from her in one invisible step, "I'm only going to keep you in the French Quarter as if you're in a cage." Elena looked at him with the most upset expression on her face. Elijah couldn't bare it. It broke his heart to see him break her heart over and over again. She had to understand that dating a thousand year old original vampire was extremely dangerous. They clearly had enough enemies in their own town let alone the world.

He went to leave her standing there once more but as he ran off something magnetic-like stopped him in his place. "I don't think so." Elena said as she extended her hand. "You're not going to zoom off every time things get intense. This would be completely pathetic if you didn't feel the same way about me…but you do. You sit and torture yourself because you're missing the most important thing when it comes to life but when it's right in front of it you push it away because you're scared."

"I'm not scared." Elijah said, "I'm a thousand years old, I'm not scared of emotion."

"Then what are you scared of?"

"I'm scared that we're going to go down this road and in ten years, fifteen years or even a hundred years you're going to wake up and realize you've wasted your time loving someone unredeemable." Elijah said, "I only hope to be as pure and compassionate as you one day, and until then I can't drag you to hell with me."

She let him go, "You're so selfish."

"I'm pretty sure I'm being the exact opposite of selfish. If anyone is selfish, it's you!" He looked at her. He couldn't help himself but to smirk after their dramatic conversation. "I'm thinking of you entirely, if I were being selfish I would…"

"You would what?"

"I would kiss you." Elijah moved closer to her, "I would tell you that I want you, that I need you that I have to have you because that's what selfish people do. They don't think about the other person in the situation." He breathed as he moved closer, "You're right, we need to find Klaus."

And with that, she let him vanish once more.


	10. Chapter 10 In Da Club

Chapter 10: In Da Club

"_Your nose is always in that stupid book…" Rebekah sighed as she fell over the side of the couch letting her long blonde hair swing over the edge. "It's quite boring." Elena looked up from the leather bound spell-book to acknowledge Rebekah's comment. _

"_I'm not here to entertain you." Elena rolled her eyes, "This book is going to help me find your brother, I know it." She'd spent multiple days hypnotized by the pages of these books searching for answers to the location of Klaus. _

"_You said that about the last stupid book Marcel slipped you from the original library." Rebekah smiled, "And you also said you'd go out once you finished reading that book. I'm tired of being in this house all the time hiding from the nightlife of New Orleans." _

_Elena slammed the book close, "One night, one break and I don't want to hear anymore complaining until I find your brother." _

It was always happy hour down at La Pure Séduction. The exclusive club was literally on the worst cobble-stone road for stilettos but still, girls flocked like desperate pigeons to get pass the red velvet ropes. That night happened to be the annual "Slutty Costume" night- translation: Too much booze and the need to be carried through the roads equals _regret and sinful activities. _Still, she stood at the entrance in her Lady Luck Costume in honor of the impending Saint Patrick's Day. It was a mini-dress with puffy sleeves and a ruffled bottom and a green corset with four leaf clovers on it as well as the matching thigh-high white and green stockings. In total, with her hair in low pigtails she looked like she belonged in the club…but her mind was somewhere else.

Rebekah on the other hand dressed like a slutty vampire, or as she joked earlier "Katherine Pierce" but Elena could not speak ill of the dead to follow up that joke no matter how true it happened to be. Elena went to the bar to order the cheapest whiskey they had, compelling the bartender to keep it coming all night long. She glanced around the room seeing Rebekah on the phone with someone as she waited.

"Here you go." He said sweetly, Elena rolled her eyes as he tried to flirt with her. If he only knew the competition against him… She downed the shot turning over the glass, then another and another until Rebekah returned to her side.

"Started the party without me, I see." Rebekah laughed, "I think tonight we should rent a hotel room in the heart of New Orleans and get a stripper."

"That's completely random, why wouldn't we just bring a stripper back to the house?"

Rebekah giggled, "If they know we're completely loaded they'll expect a bigger tip. If we go to a hotel, they won't expect such a hefty tip!" Rebekah and Elena toasted one another before they took a shot together. "Oh!" Rebekah coughed, "That's bloody dreadful! Why are you drinking that?"

"When I was human and before I knew of any vampires and before my parents died my friends and I would go to these abandoned places and drink the cheapest things we could get our hands on… I don't know, drinking cheap is a real party- drinking expensive is a boring event."

"Hmm." Rebekah said, "You have a point. My wildest nights during the 1920's came from excessive consumption of cheap liquors." Rebekah's faced shifted to worry in half a second as she reached towards Elena's face. "Are you okay?"

Elena noticed her reflection from the glass behind the bar, her eyes were bright yellow and veins were crawling from her eyes to her cheeks- she could feel her fangs pushing through her gums. What caused this sudden reaction… or who? It was him. The intoxicating aroma that wafted through the bar and probably a mixture of the shots she was throwing back. She shook her head, returning back to her normal face as he pushed through the crowd to join the two. "Elena." He greeted her with a formal nod of his head.

She rolled her eyes, reaching over the bar to grab whatever she could put her hands on. She pulled up a full bottle of some type of white wine and with an equally formal nod she blended in with the crowd leaving the original siblings alone. "You're new." She heard a deep voice from behind her say, "And beautiful."

"Half the people in this bar are new, this is New Orleans." Elena said simply, "But I'll bite at your lousy pickup line because I plan on getting really drunk and making terrible mistakes." The guy liked her speech, he probably said his name and a little background information too but Elena wasn't interested in knowing his family history or his name. She was too busy watching Elijah's movements through the reflective objects in the area. She noticed the way he kept looking at her and how he tried to disguise his obvious interest in her actions.

The guy moved in closer as he placed his hand on her waist, "Do you want to get out of here?" He asked her with a smirk on his lips. He was attractive, she would give him that. Still, he wasn't her type at all. He was too focused on getting home to ask her what her name was or where she was from or if she was a native. She would have lied, she wouldn't have cared if he asked…but he didn't. Of course, a deep feeling started settling in Elena's stomach as she reminded herself she wasn't that type of girl. She didn't have sex with people she didn't care about at random because someone was making her feel unworthy. "Hmm?" The guy pestered her once more about leaving the bar, touching her wrist firmly.

She never saw Elijah move from the bar- but he was there grabbing the guys wrist with paranormal strength. "She doesn't want to go home with you." He compelled the guy, "Now leave." Once the guy disappeared in the darkness the two watched each other and soon moved closer as the music acted like ocean waves.

"I can take care of myself." She reminded him just to break the silence as they embraced on another on the dance floor.

Elijah's voice echoed in her ears above the melody of the song, "You were going to leave with him."

"I thought about it." She confirmed.

Elijah stopped moving, "Why would you do that?"

"Why does it matter? I can make my own choices. We aren't together and I don't know what game you're playing but it's getting old." Elijah took her hand and pulled her gently outside so they could get some privacy from Rebekah's nosey ears. "I've made it crystal clear what I want but I'm prepared to stop fighting you."

"You have to understand…It's not that I don't. Yes, God, Yes Elena I want you. How could I not? You and I are so similar that it's unbearable to even have a conversation with you sometimes… I've never met someone with a soul as pure as your own and I will probably never meet another like you but there are many factors when it comes to having a relationship."

Elena laughed, "It's funny because for the longest time I thought relationships were two people who love each other and wanted to be together but you, you have shown me reality! We can't be together, we can't even try because you're scared."

"I'm not scared."

"Yes you are" Elena said as she started naming off reasons why he was scared of being in a relationship with another doppelganger. Elijah threw his hands up in the air in a fit of passion.

"What if he takes you from me?" He yelled over Elena's reasoning, "What if we become involved, fall in love and we find my brother and he's not satisfied. He'll stick a dagger in my chest and chase you to the ends of the earth to keep you away from me."

"You're scared of Klaus's reaction?" Elena scoffed as she squinted her eyes, "I know I don't really let on how much power I have but you have to know that when it comes to a fight between me and Klaus…there's no way he could win."

Elijah said simply, "We can't." as if that were the end of conversation altogether and nothing she said would matter because he'd made up his mind. Elena moved closer with determination, pressing her forehead against his as he opened his mouth- holding his breath in resistance. "We can't." He repeated, but did not move- did not run.

"We can tonight." Elena said with an eerie calmness in her voice, her lips inching closer to his. "Tell me it's okay, Elijah."

"I think it's reasonable to rid ourselves of this immense tension." He said as he touched her cheeks, veins appearing once more around her eyes. "I'm going to kiss you." He told her before their lips touched in the most damning moment Elena or Elijah had ever been in. Sure, they'd kissed before that very moment but it wasn't like this one.

The streetlights didn't flicker as magic pulsed through Elena's body and the wall didn't crack when Elijah pushed Elena so passionately up against its ancient texture. Something animal came over the two as the two hastily grabbed at one another as if the hours, the sun and the moon were fighting a war against them. Elijah broke the kiss- ever so politely- and breathed heavily, "Where?"

"We can't go to my house… Rebekah…"

"And we can't go to my house because of Marcel and the others."

"French Quarter Inn?" Elena suggested as she stepped away from him, fixing her hair and her outfit. "I'll meet you there. Can I have your word that you'll meet me rather than skip town?" Elijah only kissed her softly as a confirmation.


	11. Chapter 11 You Shouldn't Be Here

Story Summary: "_And I remember when I met him, it was so clear that he was the only one for me. We both knew it, right away. And as the years went on, things got more difficult -we were faced with more challenges. I begged him to stay. He was charismatic, magnetic, and electric and everybody knew it. When he walked in every woman's head turned, everyone stood up to talk to him. I always got the sense that he became torn between being a good person and missing out on all of the opportunities that life could offer a man as magnificent as him. And in that way I understood him and I loved him. I loved him, I loved him, I loved him. And I still love him. I love him._" (Taken from Lana Del Rey's "National Anthem" monologue)

Chapter 11: You Shouldn't Be Here

She'd changed out of the ridiculous outfit she'd worn in the bar and turned into an elegant lady with just a small black dress and lacey lingerie. For a few seconds, her mind wandered through their history. The first time she met him- the way she viewed him-he was so elegant and terrifying. Oh, how things had changed since those days of being human and completely in love with Stefan… and then, the time she kissed him when her emotions were completely abandoned. She wished she could feel that- she wanted to analyze the things she missed while she _didn't care_. It'd be chaotic since she awoke from The Other Side but things were starting to settle in the supernatural world and in her life. She'd found a sense of unity between Elijah and Rebekah and despite Elijah's foolish fears she hoped to find the same unity when it came to Klaus. Plus, she was assuming she could kill him (although it was ill advised seeing as she would parish as well) because Esther had been able to.

Elena stepped out of her house as she felt the beginnings of spring hair whipping at her smooth legs. Her hair floated in the wind as her heels collided with the concrete. There were slight fears in the back of her mind as she walked to the hotel- she wondered if he honestly believed this was the end of their story. Did he believe they could wake up and forget these future moments? Elena knew she wouldn't be able to. She had to thank Rebekah one day for getting her out of the house and letting her clear her thoughts long enough to bask in the beauty of Elijah.

The night, or early morning, was coming to a closing end for the tourist and natives. People were going home with their lovers, gamblers were cashing in their chips or facing the reality of the game of luck. She watched as human girls gripped the men they were leading home- she longed for that type of oblivion. Still, her night was incomplete.

She stood in front of the hotel, hands hesitating on the door handle. "Are you going to go inside?" Elijah asked, appearing from the shadows. "I thought you would drive your ostentatious car." He spoke softly as his hand trailed down her hair. "I am a gentleman, but I am still a man and I apologize for my lust."

"Why?" Elena touched the side of his face, "It's human." The words were often used as an excuse, but in that moment they were used as comfort. "Let's be human tonight."

"Let's be human for a while." Elijah whispered in her ear, "I want to be human forever… with you." She knew the words weren't sweet-nothings. They held the honor and devotion he'd pledged to her long ago. Her fingers traced his face as her mouth opened slightly. "I've had a thousand years to evaluate what letting go of something-someone-can do and what the ramifications are. I've had minutes to realize I can't live without you and the thought that you weren't going to show up-"He touched her arm but pulled away, putting his hand on the back of his head. "I discovered that we can fight if a battle with NiKlaus occurs but I need to know just one thing…"

"Yes?" She twisted her body flirtatiously as she looked deep in his eyes.

"Do you honestly believe we stand a chance in hell?" His question wasn't serious but rather full of humor as he leaned down and kissed her sweetly. She seemed to nod her head as he brushed her lips, "Are we going to go inside?"

"We're both here and I've had a lot to drink tonight…" Her fingers grasped his suit as she pulled him near her, "Let's be human darling." He picked her up bridal style and opened the door quickly but their loving daze soon came to an abrupt end. She still dangled in his arms as a familiar voice echoed through the lobby.

"Yeah, three rooms please." Jeremy's voice ran through Elena's ears. She watched him as he looked distantly into the glass, she didn't even realize her grip around Elijah's neck and become a lot stronger. When he noticed her in the glass, he turned around hastily. "Elena." He breathed, "And Elijah?"

"Jer…" She said as Elijah gently set her down on her feet. "What are you doing here?"

"We could ask you the same thing…" Caroline, Bonnie, Matt, Damon and Stefan entered the picture from the waiting room. "Why are you in New Orleans?"

"This is my home." She nearly choked out, "I live here now."

"With Elijah? You two are obviously a couple."

"Actually that's fairly rece-" She stopped speaking because she sounded too elated about her relationship for the situation. "What are you doing in my city?"

"Our city." Elijah corrected with a soft smile on his face directed towards the Salvatore brothers. "Elena merely came to visit and assist my family during our time of need but then she decided to make her visit permanent."

"And your family lives out of a hotel?" Caroline asked, "Elijah, I would think your family would have an elegant house."

"We do- I mean they do. I have my own house…" Elena nearly stuttered as she glanced nervously at her new lover and back at her friends and family. "You shouldn't be here." Elena said after they said nothing, "You should go home- trouble is brewing in these streets and I don't want you to be involved."

"No offense Elena, but you lost all control over what I do when you fled in the middle of the night to fuck some original douche." Jeremy said bitterly. "I'm going to the room. You guys can catch up with her if you want but I don't want any part of it."


End file.
